Blind
by AsylumDoll21
Summary: In which a female hunter learns about life, love, family and betrayal.
1. Chapter 1

The brisk winter morning dawned bright and early. The sun dawned over the horizon and bathed the valley below in a bright brilliant light reflected from the millions of blades of grass covered in frost. Everything was quiet save for the sound of the nearby Aptonoth herd grazing in the long grasses near the edge of the fields. A small encampment was set up on the other side of the field near the river that flowed gently past. A popo driven wagon and a few medium sized tents made of furs were set around a dying campfire and a few wooden stools.

A small child made their way out of the larger of the tents and snuck quietly to the smallest tent on the far end of the encampment. Peeking through the tent flap he watched the hunter as she went about her morning rituals. His gaze swept over her armor stacked in the corner and the large glaive set at the end of her bed. He watched her as she fed her kinsect a small bowl of nectar and polished its shell with a rag.

There was a sudden "Thunk!" near his head and he flinched away from the knife stuck deep in the tusk that propped up the tent. He looked back to the hunter to see her standing in front of the door with her hands on her hips and a stern expression. "Get out" were her only words before he scrambled back to his tent as fast as his short legs could carry him.

She laughed a little to herself. She was no stranger to the curiosity that followed the hunters wherever they traveled. But her situation always made people infinitely more curious. After all, it wasn't everyday that you'd meet a blind hunter.


	2. Chapter 2

Ten years earlier she never would've been considered good in a fight. Small and scrawny at the age of 16 she lived off the scraps that any villager happened to drop in passing. She was emaciated and dehydrated constantly. Living in the shadow of the nomadic encampment she once called family. Her family had perished in a fire that claimed the lives of many. She was the sole survivor and as such was branded a blight. A bringer of bad luck. The few that remained kind to her did so with a concerned nod or would occasionally leave out a spare blanket during the cold months, but would never dare touch her nor speak to her.

After a year surviving on the dregs of humanity, a hunter came to stay with the nomads. He was kind to everyone and helped keep the camp safe from roaming monsters in exchange for supplies and company. At night he would sit by the fire pit and tell stories about other hunters and large terrifying monsters from faraway lands. Adults and children alike would gather to hear his stories and he was quickly welcomed as part of the family.

One day the hunter had left early on an errand to the local farm. Something about an aptonoth wandering into a field of herbs and frightening the palico workers. She had decided to go down to the river to bathe away the hot stickiness that the sun was attempting to force down on everyone. There were other children splashing on the shallow water but she avoided them, knowing that if she came close they would either leave or throw stones to drive her away. Standing a few yards away she dipped her feet in the frigid water and sighed happily. She had always loved the water. It was the one thing she could always enjoy no matter what form it came in. She dreamed of being a fish once, she wondered what it would be like to be a beautiful goldenfish floating along the current, lazily flapping her bright fins. She smiled to herself, despite being ostracized from the rest of the group she was still happy. She missed her parents but she didn't carry their death around like a heavy stone. And she didn't blame any of the people that spat at her or kept their distance. She just let them have their beliefs. She figured there was nowhere else to go so she might as well make the best of what she had.

Lost in her thoughts she barely noticed the odd movement in the grass across the riverbank. Before she could react the large spidery limbs of the Nerscylla were stamping through the river and it gurgled as it lunged for her. It was injured and one of its legs were tucked closely to its body as it shuddered and large purple pincers began protruding from its maw.

Scrambling backwards over the rocks she screamed, drawing the attention of the other younglings. Seeing the large animal outside in the open made most of them freeze in terror. They avoided the caves near the base of the mountain because of these very creatures. She screamed again as she barely dodged a swinging pincer and it sent them all into a panic. They ran back to the camp in a tangled mess of stumbling bodies. Adults rushed to the edge of the camp and watched in horror at the spectacle before them. A few of the stronger men grabbed their spears and began running towards the beast.

The Nerscylla's body rose above her and she couldn't get up. The fear had paralyzed her and she could no longer tell her limbs what to do. She stared up into its eyes as it blinked slowly at her. She couldn't breathe. Its mouth opened above her and its purple venom dribbled onto the side of her face, stinging and bubbling as it ran into her eyes and down her cheeks. She screamed in agony and clawed at her eyes but the burning wouldn't stop. She wished it would just end.

But the bite never came.

There was a deafening screech. A resounding thud. And something wrapping around her heavily.

Her breathing rapidly became shallow and the pain finally overwhelmed her to the point of exhaustion. Her mind slipped into the darkness of sleep, but even then it wasn't far enough away from the pain.


End file.
